Goran Reljic 'back' on track to UFC return
by Jesse Holland on May 11, 2009 1:09 PM EDT
38 comments
Up-and-coming UFC prospect Goran Reljic has gotten the go-ahead to begin light training after having surgery last February to repair a back injury sustained while training for his 185-pound fight against Thales Leites at UFC 90: "Silva vs. Cote" in October 2008, according to MMAFighting.com.
Leites would go on to defeat replacement Drew McFedries and earn a shot at middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva at UFC 97. The rest is (cough) history.
From Reljic's manager Zoran Saric:
"I have to be very specific on his programs for rehabilitation and training because he likes to train and spar like he fights, and the human body is just not made to take pressure like that especially on back and joints where fighters get hurt the most. [The] UFC is waiting very patiently for his comeback and I can’t tell [you] how much Goran is waiting to step in Octagon again."
Reljic is a 24-year-old undefeated Croatian fighter who stopped Wilson Gouveia via technical knockout in his debut performance for the promotion at UFC 84: "Ill Will" back in May 2008. He trains with the Roger Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in London, England, where he is a purple belt.
Goran also made headlines last year after diving into the ocean in the middle of the night to pull two men from a car that had crashed into the sea.
In addition, he is the protege of former UFC heavyweight fighter, Mirko Cro Cop. Expect big things from this guy when he returns.
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Hope he’s fully recovered. Back surgery is nothing to rush coming back from.
by DSmith on May 11, 2009 1:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I was wondering where he went. He was impressive against Gouveia and then he dissapeared. I didn’t realize that he hurt his back.
by LJ on May 11, 2009 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah he was all right against gouveia but not as special as everyone makes out…. he did get owned by gouveia at the end of round 1, so much that goran actually pulled gaurd
and at the beginning of round 2 he was getting destroyed by gouveia….
the good things about goran is his leg kicks…. they are so aggressive also he is young so he has plenty of time to develop
he needs to improve before he becomes a serious contender
by ufcaddict on May 11, 2009 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Comon, harsh, that was a close back and forth fight with an experienced top contender that lets not forget he won!!
Reljic is legit with a very bright future.
by Nick J on May 11, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i’m not disagreeing he is legit and has a bright future but i’ve heard a lot of ppl over exaggerate over how great his win is and how dominant he was when that was clearly not the case
by ufcaddict on May 11, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i gotta sencond that his win over wilson wasnt overly impressive. he got rocked and was getting worked, but it was his debut and he did comeback to score the knockout.
by COR on May 11, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Goran has excellent kickboxing and I saw shades of Cro Cop in his win over Wilson but I don’t know how well rounded he is as a fighter. This long lay-off won’t have done him any good, look at how poor Shogun was when he returned from a long-term injury. Reljic is a nice guy and deserves a lot of credit for saving the lives of those men but as a young fighter a bad injury is not good when it comes to career longevity. I hope he has been able to work on his weaknesses and is able to make the cut to 185 because he has the potential to be a very dangerous prospect in that division.
by David W-S on May 11, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like him as a prospect but man is he stiff when he fights. That boy needs to just relax a little bit instead of being tensed up so tight in the standup.
by NameNotRequired on May 11, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
YOU guys are missing the problem. Problem with Goran right now is that he is a little too much like Cro cop in that he relies soley on his left hand and left leg. He will need to improve on his combo’s in the future, but let me tell you something, by the time 2010 is over, Goran will be fighting for the middleweight title. Remember that you heards it here 1st. Very bright future…We only saw his stand up really, and i heard that his Jits is really good!
This kid will fight for the title in the future.
I say let him knock Kendall Grove the FOCK out for his next fight!
by john on May 11, 2009 7:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Couldnt have waited any longer for this to happen,The thought of Kendall Grove being his next opponent souds good to me!
I just watched the Willy G and Reljic fight it made me dislike G even more he has no heart and quits when he is pushed to hard!!
by NM on May 11, 2009 8:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep john, he’s got some good titles at blue belt and is a purple under Roger Gracie if i remember right.
by NameNotRequired on May 11, 2009 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Can’t wait for this guy to get back!!! What a beast, wonder if he still trains with Mirko Cro Cop?
by Dragon on May 11, 2009 1:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I guess I should read the whole article before I post!! :-)
by Dragon on May 11, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
True that!!! Plus it hurts my brains!!! lol
by Dragon on May 11, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not too familiar with the geography of England, but he should try out the Wolfslair. I hear they are somewhat decent. ;)
by Synyster on May 11, 2009 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wolfslair is in liverpool in the north of england reljic trains in london in the south i would say he should stick with gracie get his black belt then go to a full mma gym
by Nokia on May 11, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have no idea how the hell he’s going to make 185. Absolute beast and a hero. Can’t wait to see him in action soon.
by RobH86 on May 11, 2009 1:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah seriously how many people wake up in the middle of the night go running out in there underwear and rescue two people from a half submerged car?? How could you not like this guy!!!!!!!
by Dragon on May 11, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, have been anticipating Goran’s return. He can make some waves in the MW division if he dedicates himself to training and trains in a cage as opposed to a ring ala Cro Cop.
by jayshogun on May 11, 2009 1:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Keep your eye on this guy. Future champion in my opinion.
by Stephen Shamrock! on May 11, 2009 1:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
His kicks are brutal. They had his fight vs Wilson G. fight on Spike last night and after a few kicks his right side was all beat up. Young dude also! Lots of potential.
by WB on May 11, 2009 2:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
recycled ernie johnson jokes are not allowed
by ActionJackson on May 11, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He probably threw it out humpin your mom
by Bongwater on May 11, 2009 2:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
reljic vs alexander Battle of The Heroes
by dragoeater on May 11, 2009 3:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
haha i was just gona say that. yea i like this kid – guys got some vicious cro cop kicks!
by Randy for Couture on May 11, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Reljic vs Professor X = Stand-up War!
Wouldn’t mind seeing him take on Irvin or Kang either.
This kid has potential to go far.
by HeroOfTime on May 11, 2009 4:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I can’t wait to see him fight again. If he loses I am still a fan of this guy. I wonder why he dropped to 185.
by natedog77 on May 11, 2009 4:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
crowded lhw division???
i didn’t think he looked like a big 205er. he looked similar in size to wilson who also fights at mw.
by chris on May 11, 2009 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
can’t wait to see him fight again. If he sets up those kicks he will get a ton of Crocop type KOs. Glad he dropped to 185.
by Mike on May 11, 2009 6:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Ok, now that it’s finally posting my responses i got this to say. Being a guy from ex yugoslavia I am so happy to see that at least one of us is smart enough to actually CUT the f..king weight for a fight. Can you imagine cro cop at 205? Cro cop walks around at 220, so how much of an effort would it take for him to drop 15 pounds before fights? Denis Stonjic is a Fat 236, but would make a lean and mean 205 pounder. Now you have Goran who walks around at 230, and is planning to fight at 185. I don’t know how he is going to do it, but I’m all for it. Also lets remember that besides having good stand up, this guy is world class at jiu jitsu. He may be only a purple belt, but being a brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner my self i know that belts are not as easy to come by in bjj as they are in other martial arts. Tons of potential. I hope he can stay healthy.
by edo bg on Jun 27, 2009 5:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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